WILL POV-

One call, two calls; hearing the dial tone hum, waiting for an answer from the other side; thinking of the ways he would reassure his dad.

On the third call, the phone seemed to be accepted, hearing Lonnie's voice come through; a mix of relief and frustration surged through Will.

"What?" Lonnie's voice came out angry; the small boy winced a little but knew this was usually how his father would answer calls. Especially if his son was missing, it was reasonable to be on edge.

"Dad... it's me, Will." He said, his voice tense,

Lonnie's tone remained oblivious from the other side, "Oh, why are you calling?"

The brunette furrowed his brows, as Mike and El exchanged a confused glance; since the phone was on speaker; everyone could hear. Will paused for a second, "I... I've been missing."

"You have?" His father muttered, "So that's why I haven't seen you. I thought you were just hiding in your room... because you have no friends,"

"Hiding? Dad I am MISS-ING!" The brunette emphasized the last word

"Ok..." Lonnie responded, showing no emotion,

Will's patience wore thin, his voice lacing with disbelief, "Are you serious? You didn't even realise I was gone?"

"Look! I've been busy! I can't keep tabs on you all the time." his father quipped with a defeated shrug.

Frustration fuelled the small boy; anger pouring out; his grip on the burner phone tightening, causing his knuckles to go white, "Of course! Too busy to care apparently!"

"It's not like that! I've just had a lot on my plate!" Lonnie bit back defensive, not realising the error of his ways.

"I thought maybe once; just once, my own father would care about me, but obviously not, how could I be so stupid?" A surge of pure rage pulsated through Will's veins, struggling to keep his emotions, "You never fail to disappoint me!"

"I've given you everything and cared for you, your whole life!" his father reasoned, showing no remorse.

The brunette's frustration bubbled to the surface; simmering with anger, "If you cared, maybe you would have noticed I was missing!"

A tense silence followed, Lonnie said nothing and for a small moment the small boy thought he may have cracked through to his father but proved wrong as Lonnie responded, "This isn't the time to argue Will, I'm at work."

The brunette's jaw dropped, his voice cracking as he confronted his father's lack of concern, "Work? Is that really more important than your son? I could have been buried underground and all you care about is money!"

Lonnie's sigh was audible, only fuelling Will's anger, "But you're not dead; you're still breathing, aren't you?"

"I can't believe this! 'At least I'm not dead?'" He asked with a small chuckle of disbelief; not wanting to believe that his own father said that to him, "Did it ever may occur to you that I could have died?"

Lonnie's voice grew weary, his tone softer "We're not getting anywhere like this."

Will felt furious, "Yeah well maybe it's because you care more about your job then your own son!"

"You're so fucking dramatic, just like your mother! I knew I should have taken your brother instead. Maybe he wouldn't have gone missing!" Lonnie's words cut through the air like a knife, leaving the small boy speechless and causing El and Mike to drop their jaws.

The shock of his father's words silenced the small boy; sending shockwaves. Thoughts of anger, hurt and betrayal welling up inside him. He couldn't believe what he just heard; brother? He had a brother? He couldn't fathom the way that his own father would dismiss his feelings so callously.

With a heavy heart and a lump in his throat, the brunette didn't have the ability to continue the call; worried he might explode into tears if he continued arguing. His fingers trembled, switching off the phone. The room seemed to close into itself, feeling El and Mike's eyes on him; they heard the whole call; everything...

El and Mike exchanged concerned glances over everything they overheard; they couldn't pretend like nothing happened; they were witnesses watching it. The doe-eyed girl, sensing the distress in the air, gently sat next to Will placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and asked with a gentle expression, "Hey, are you okay?"

The brunette nodded, his emotions raw, yet filled with sadness; tears threatening to fall, "C-can I have some alone time Mike? please..." he begged quietly.

El frowned, holding a reassuring warmth as she glanced at the ravenette, urging him to agree,

Mike panicked but nodded "Of course... you can!"

A small, appreciative smile tugged on the corner of Will's lips, tilting his head toward the pair, "Thank you," he mumbled,

Mike took a step forward, "Okay... I'll umm, take you to the guest bedroom." His gaze fixed, an unreadable expression on his face. Unlocking the handcuffs from the table, the tall boy gently led Will upstairs and to the bed, carefully handcuffing him to the bedpost. Will casted his eyes up to Mike; full of emotion.

"I know- I know this is uncomfortable," the ravenette began soft, "But we have to make sure you won't run."

The brunette nodded, darting his eyes away from Mike's face, not bothering to complain, "Yeah, I understand."

The tall boy hesitated for a moment, "If you need anything, just call... okay?" his eyes held a glint of compassion as he was never the most comforting person.

The small boy passed a sad smile, "Thanks..."

The ravenette returned the smile before leaving the room closing the door gently and switching dimming the lights behind him.

Alone on the bed, Will turned to his side, the weight of everything that has transpired bore him down; the fight was the final straw. His eyes stung with tears welling up, hot and stinging. It was as if a dam had burst allowing all his pent-up emotions to flood the pillow.

He was overwhelmed; too many thoughts passing his mind. He told himself he would be strong but obviously he wasn't. He felt like such a failure and couldn't do anything to stop the situation he was in; he had no one. He was alone, he always was; no one wanted him; he had no friends and obviously his dad didn't care about him. His mother didn't even want him as a child; of course, she ran away from him; Will doesn't blame her.

Lonnie's words cut deep, his mind settling like a heavy fog, suffocating and alone. His sobs echoed in the quiet room as he unleashed all the emotions he built up in the past few days; crying for all the reasons he could, never knowing when the tears would stop, if ever. He could choke on his own tears, and nobody would notice.

Nobody.

MIKE POV-

The ravenette descended down the stairs finding El pacing in the hallway, biting her nails in anticipation and worry; her brows furrowed in thought. He approached her, a concerned look on his face,

"How's he doing?" she asked softly, sensing the weight of the situation.

Mike sighed, leaning against the banister of the stairs, "He's struggling, the call with his dad... didn't go well!"

"Well, no shit!" El burst out saying, obviously concerned, "Did- did he say anything... like about his dad right now?"

"No..." The tall boy shook his head

"You're hiding something aren't you? You know something about his dad!" The doe-eyed girl accused.

"I... um on the way here he said his dad would lock him in the trunk of his car when he was young!" Mike admitted sadly, as though he didn't threaten to do that to the brunette; he felt weirdly guilty.

"Poor Will!" El scrunched her face; a frown appearing on her lips. "I can't imagine all the things he had gone through!" she whispered.

Falling into an uncomfortable silence, each felt lost in thought, "I think we need to calm down for now, let's give him some time." El continued with a small sigh.

Mike nodded in agreement, "Yeah... I think he needs to come to grips with what happened first,"

El shook her head, "In the meantime, let's try keep things as normal as possible; I made dinner, let's eat and then you can check up on him later."

The ravenette smiled, "Sounds like a plan!"

---- 9:23 PM ----

After a quiet dinner, El prepared a plate, putting it to one side for Will handing it to Mike. With a gentle expression she said, "Maybe you should go check on Will? He might be hungry."

The ravenette nodded, taking the plate from his best friend, "Yeah... sure."

Making his way up the stairs, he kept his footsteps light as he approached the bedroom. Opening the door, he saw the brunette laying facing away; assuming Will was asleep but as he got close, he noticed the subtle shudder in his shoulder.

His instincts told him something was wrong, hearing soft sniffles and choked sobs; it had been over an hour since Will was left here and he couldn't do anything; he knew he was the main cause of all this anguish and wanted to do something; quietly, he placed the food on the side table, sitting on the opposing side of the king-sized bed. Stretching his feet beside the small boy; feeling oddly guilty.

He wasn't skilled at comforting people but knew how much it hurt to have some he cared about say harsh things to him; he didn't care about others, but he couldn't bear to see Will's tears for some reason. Taking a deep breath, he tentatively reached out placing a hand on Will's back.

"Hey," Mike murmured soft, hoping to offer some solace.

The brunette didn't bother to reply, his trembling shoulders a signal of his feelings and his eyes drained of all tears.

The tall boy hesitated for a moment before awkwardly scooting closer to Will pulling his whimpering body close into his; hesitating into an embrace, "It's... it's gonna be okay," He stammered, fully aware of how inadequate his attempt was.

Patting him on the head, the ravenette continued to console as best as he could, "I know this is... really messed up." he said with a sigh; knowing that he was literally kidnapping Will and then consoling him.

The hug was awkward, and Mike's own discomfort was palpable, hoping the physical contact would offer some sort of comfort to Will despite their complicated relationship. His heart raced feeling the brunette close.

The brunette didn't pull away; not that he could even if he wanted to; all his strength left his body, merely feeling the minutes tick by. Mike continued to hold onto the small boy hearing the sobs subsiding to quiet sniffles.

"It's gonna be alright." the tall boy repeated, even though he couldn't guarantee anything, "We'll figure something out."

Eventually, the combination of exhaustion and emotions took their toll on the small boy, and Mike could feel him go limp in his arms; the brunette's breathing evened out, indicating his drifting to sleep as soft snores echoed the room.

The tall boy remained stiff, unsure whether to stay or let go. But finally deciding to stay, he gently rested Will's head onto his chest keeping a hand on his hair to stop him from falling. Despite everything that happened, Mike's heart felt heavy with emotions he couldn't explain or understand.

Their breathing slowed, harmonising with one another; the gentle embrace evolving into something that held deeper meaning for Mike; something he could never explain. The ravenette's arm instinctively tightened around the small boy, allowing sleep to claim him.

Unbeknownst to both, as they drifted into slumber tangled in a deep hug, their hearts beat in unison. Mike's feelings, though hidden from even himself, were becoming more complex; he had kidnapped Will and yet a part of him wanted to protect him from all the pain he was going through and keep him by his side.

From outside the door, El looked in, seeing her best friend wrapped up with a boy he had only known for a few days; a big contrast to the Mike who never showed any sort of physical affection. With a knowing smile and a soft chuckle, she softly closed the door; not disturbing them... 

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2067 Words

Stay Safe <3